There's a New Sheriff in Town
by gingersnapped907
Summary: This fic is called... There's a New Sheriff in Town, but I really wanted to title it (Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy) but that sounded too smexy? It's a Shandy AU story idea. It is set in the Old West but also within the first season of Major Crimes with some dialogue from the show.
1. Chapter 1

**_~There's a New Sheriff in Town~_**

 **AN:** This is an AU story idea that has been stuck in my head and trying to get out for years. It is set in the Old West but also within the first season of Major Crimes with some dialogue from the show.

 **Disclaimer:** I sadly own nothin' of Major Crimes, nothin'!

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He strolled down the creaky boardwalk, his foot fall landing heavily on the worn wood. He was in town to see an old friend. As he hit the top step of his destination, he heard heated words coming from inside. From the raised voices, he knew who was arguing and figured he'd better run interference before it escalated into something more. He quickly stepped into the old dark dusty building, closing the door behind him. Andy Flynn knew it was serious when he heard Provenza loudly threaten, "I want a transfer."

Mayor Taylor turned his glare from the intruder back to the grumpy deputy and in a commanding voice, he demanded, "you stay here or you retire! Now, you want to hand me your badge?" When there was no answer, the furious man pushed his way passed them, "I put her here for a reason. Just do your job." There was a quick burst of sunshine as he opened the door then slammed it, leaving them alone in the dimly lit room.

The room was silent. When Andy saw the redness fade from his friend's face, he finally dared to ask, "What are you so upset about?"

Provenza grumbled, "it's a crappy way to make a living, dealing with the worst this town has to offer and not being in charge."

Andy couldn't help but snicker, "you haven't been in charge for eight years."

"Yeah, but now I'm mad about it!" He threw another one of his personal items from his desk into a box. Frustrated, Provenza said, "Flynn, it's that woman." He turned to his longtime friend and used his fingers to count. "After four wives, five divorces, six chiefs, three partners and two parakeets... who lived a lot longer than I expected them to. I just don't want to be forced into another long-standing, unhappy relationship."

The telltale sound of boots and the spin of the spurs attached to them echoed from down the back hallway. As the steps got closer, Provenza's eyes widened. He knew who it was because no one else walked like that. He cringed when he heard, "I completely agree."

There was a pause, nobody moved. Feeling the tension building until it became too much, Andy decided to make an exit in a hurry. "I'm gonna get a cup of coffee. I'll be heading out." He flipped the piece of straw that was between his teeth to the other side of his mouth as he tipped his hat saying, "Ma'am." Turning back to Provenza before he left to say, "see ya around, maybe."

Sharon watched the tall stranger leave. She had never met him before, but there was something oddly familiar about him. She felt drawn to him, as if she had known him for a long time. To keep her boots planted where she stood and to not follow the man, she leaned back on the desk behind her, crossed her arms and faced her deputy asking, "should I say how much I appreciate your service and your experience? Should I remind you that we, both of us, are probably dealing with misconceptions about each other? Can we improve our work relationship through dinner and a drink?"

"God, no! Look, Sheriff, this isn't just about you. After all I've given to this town, anyone else besides me sitting in that chair," Provenza pointed at the empty seat behind the main desk, "is an insult and it's not fair."

She narrowed her eyes in disbelief as she asked, "you have been a deputy for how long, and you're still expecting life to be fair?"

"Look, if I stay, I'll only complain and point out your mistakes," he admitted smugly.

Standing with her hands behind her back, Sharon asked curiously, "Aren't you experienced enough to speak your mind with me and remember my rank?"

Provenza put on his jacket and stretched out the sleeves with a jerk. "Well, of course I am. The problem is, I don't want to. This whole situation, it... it just sucks."

Sharon nodded in agreement, "it does a little, I know. Look, why don't you agree to stay on here, only... only until you find someplace completely fair to work." Heading over to her desk, she spun back around saying, "think about it," before continuing her steps. She went over to her new desk to get acquainted with her surroundings. She heard the door close behind him, but when she turned she noticed his box of items was still on his desk, so maybe there was hope he was willing to work with her. As Sharon settled in her chair, she let out a sigh. She had come here to make a change in her life, but she wasn't so sure it was a good idea anymore. It wasn't the fact she wasn't liked by her colleagues, she was used to that. She just wasn't sure if she fit into this small tumbleweed town.

Suddenly, the front door opened with a crash. It brought her mind back to what she should be doing, her job. Another deputy Sharon had met earlier and a younger blonde man she didn't know were dragging in a kicking and screaming pile of dirt. She jumped up from her seat. "What is going on here?"

The two men pushed through the doorway and sat him in an empty chair. "This is the third time Rusty has run away from home this week."

Sharon looked at him and asked, "and you are who?"

"Sorry, Ma'am, my name is Buzz. I own the bicycle shop a few doors down." He heard the new sheriff was in town, but he wasn't expecting someone so pretty and refined. It was hard not to stare. Luckily, he had a juvenile delinquent to distract him.

Before Sharon could return the greeting, the kid laughed, "what kind of name is Buzz?"

"You mean compared to Rusty?"

The smug look dropped off the boy's face and when he tried to stand, a hand on his shoulder stopped him. "It's not my home."

Buzz informed her, "The parents he was put him with, won't take him back."

Rusty slumped in the seat and huffed, "that is fine with me. They were terrible."

Sharon turned her attention to the teenager and asked, "What's the problem?"

"Living with complete strangers, that is the problem and they were, like telling me what to do all day long, even like what I could eat. They would make me go to bed 9:00 every night."

"So, you were tortured." Sharon looked between the two frustrated men and said, "I will take care of him." She sat back down in her unfamiliar chair.

He watched the new lady Sheriff sit down. To him, it seemed like she felt out of place, which reminded him to ask. "Look, I know the other person, whose chair you're now sitting in was fired or whatever, but I need to speak with him right now or just let me go."

Needing him to understand that letting a child just walk out wasn't an option, Sharon tried to explain, "Hmmm...um…right, Rusty, you are too young to live unsupervised."

With that, he almost jumped out of his seat to argue. "I lived unsupervised for months, and nobody cared. I can handle it."

Sharon looked him up and down, she could tell he had been living on the streets and she wouldn't allow it to happen to this boy again. "Well, that was before I arrived and I am now here to safeguard this town and the people in it, including you. It's not safe for a juvenile on the streets alone. You will stay here or stay where I decide to put you."

Rusty shook his head vehemently as he rushed his words, "No! I don't have to do that."

She ran her hands over the wooden desk, which was hard for her to believe was hers. She tried to center herself before saying, "ohhh, yes, you do. We have to keep protecting you until we can find something more permanent."

He pointed at her, "No, I am not doing that, and you can't make me."

"Oh, yes we can make you, and we will make you. Until then, we need to find a safe place for you to stay." Sharon wondered which was worse arguing with a teenager or a criminal.

With a sneer on his face, Rusty said, "Look, I...I don't know you, really, but I don't like you. So, I'd rather just deal with the old sheriff, please."

Sharon was getting tired of everyone wanting the person she replaced back. "Well, I'm afraid you're standing at the back of a very long line. Unfortunately, the person here before me retired. So, I am all you got."

"What?" Rusty stormed across the room to try and get outside, but Deputy Tao stepped in his way of the door.

Sharon was beside the boy a second later. She was an inch from his face and using her motherly firm tone she told him, "knock it off and I mean right now or the next place you go will have locks on doors and bars on the windows." She pointed to the jail cell behind him as she asked, "Do you want to spend the next two years in there?"

Tao watched the young kid's face go pale. He had to admit he was a little afraid of the new sheriff in town. He was sure she was going to be a force to reckon with. He gave a slight smile thinking it was just what this town needed. He decided to help out by suggesting, "don't worry, Sheriff, he can stay with me for a few hours and play with my boys. Kevin is near his age."

Feeling relieved, Sharon let out a quiet sigh. She really had no idea what to do with the young man, so she took her deputy up on the offer. "Thank you, Mike. I can come get him later after my shift."

After the door closed and the ruckus of an irate teenager faded out of earshot, Sharon plopped gracefully into her chair. It had been one heck of a day and it was only her first. She wasn't sure what she had gotten herself into and now to top it off she had to pick up an ungrateful child to take home with her. She felt bad for Rusty, he really only needed someone to care about him and to give him a chance. Even with their arguing, she saw something special in the boy. She lifted the Stetson hat off her head and set it on her desk to run her fingers through her hair in frustration. Before placing it back on her head, she rubbed her forehead. She was sure she felt a headache coming on.

Sharon got an hour of relative quiet before the front door was once again opened, but this time it was with a quiet creak. She looked up to see her head deputy sit down at his desk. She raised a brow in question. "I did the nightly rounds. The town is fairly calm tonight," Provenza said as if he hadn't threatened to quit a few hours earlier. Her only acknowledgement was a nod and then she went back to her paperwork. Inside she smiled, glad he was staying on. She would need his help learning the ins and outs of this town if she decided to stay that long.

As darkness settled over the land, there was noise outside the jail. Both Raydor and Provenza looked at each other. Knowing him well enough already, she knew that he wasn't going to jump up and investigate it. He went back to his newspaper as she got up and hurried to the door. Cautiously, Sharon pulled it open, keeping a hand on her gun. Seeing no one, she carefully stepped outside checking all directions as she went. Nothing was there except a horse, who was agitated and lathered, as if it had been running a long way.

She got barreled out of the way from behind her. "Hey, that's Flynn's horse!" Provenza called out in disbelief. "What's she doing here without him? Laura wouldn't come back here on her own unless something happened to Andy."

They stepped closer, but the horse was skittish and jerked away from them. Sharon reached her hand out for the beautiful chestnut horse to smell the back of it. When the horse didn't pull away, but came closer, she slowly stroked its nose and her calm voice soothed the troubled horse. Soon the powerful animal was rubbing its head up against Sharon's shoulder. "She's beautiful," she said more to herself but loud enough for anyone to hear. As she ran her hands through its mane, she noticed something on the saddle. She turned the horse to the light from the open doorway and asked, "is that blood?" Hearing her deputy's intake of breath, she turned to him and was concerned he didn't look surprised that the owner of this horse could be hurt. Something else was going on around here, she thought. Sharon narrowed her eyes and inquired, "Who is this Mr. Flynn? Was it the man who you were talking to earlier?"

Provenza shrugged, "he's just a rancher who has land on the outskirts of town. He did mention a few times something about having some rustlers stealing a few head of cattle and messing with the rest of the herd trying to start a stampede. He had been trying to scare them away."

Sharon listened as she noticed her horse, who happened to be tied up to the hitching post in front of the jail, moving closer to the disturbed mare. Her Silver Dapple, who was almost a salt and pepper colored Stallion, nuzzled up to the deep breathing steed as if to calm her down. He took a drink out of the water trough then pushed up against the other horse beside him to encourage her to drink too. After a few seconds, they were both getting their fill of water. Sharon was relieved because she could tell the female had been running hard, was in a panic and needed to cool off. She turned to her second-in-charge and asked, "What did you say her name was?" When he just stared her, Sharon rolled her eyes and added, "The horse's name? You did say her name, right? Maybe she can lead us back to this Flynn guy and we can find out what happened."

Provenza huffed, "the idiot named his horse, Laura. He rambled on and on about how she just looked like a Laura to him and how there was sadness in its eyes that…. E'gads, I don't know. You'd have to ask him about it." The horse snorted at hearing her name. "Sheriff, just so you know, I don't run or ride, but I'll go around town and ask questions here. I'm sure the low-life's in Sanchez's Sultry-Doll Saloon will have some answers."

"Fine, I'll go, you look after the town." Sharon swung her leg over her horse, who was still getting acquainted with the beautiful runaway mare. As she settled in her saddle, she wondered if her deputy was actually going for information or if it was for the drinks or possibly the ladies of the evening there.

"What? Shouldn't you wait until you can get some back up or find some men to go with you?"

Provenza asked. He didn't care for the woman, but he didn't want her to get hurt riding off on her own in the darkness.

Sharon just rolled her eyes again, "I'll be fine. Just find out what you can around here." With Flynn's horse's lead tied to her saddle horn, she nudged her horse to head out. When she quickened their pace to a gallop, it left her deputy coughing with dust in his face.

 ** _~TBC~_**

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 ** _A/N:_** _Thank you to lissianne for betaing for me, for her continued support and the support of some absolutely amazing friends within this fandom!_


	2. Chapter 2

**_~There's a New Sheriff in Town~_**

 ** _Chapter 2_**

 **AN:** This is an AU story idea that has been stuck in my head and has been trying to get out for years. It is set in the Old West but also within the first season of Major Crimes with some dialogue from the show.

* * *

As Sharon made her way out of town, she hoped Provenza would stay sober enough to remember any information he actually collected. She thought about the horse behind her and how Laura's owner had named her, then she remembered how she came to name her own horse. It was more that he picked his own name. She had raised him from a foal. He was supposed to be Emily's, but he got very sick, Sharon ended up spending long days and nights in his pen. Turned out he had colic and she nursed him through it by keep him moving, giving him lots of water and some mineral oil.

On one of their turns around the corral, she was trying out fancy names for him to see how he would react. He didn't like any of them. Then for laughs, Sharon started calling out random male names, like John or Tom, but when she said William her arm was jerked hard. She turned to see the foal had stopped walking and was just looking at her intently with his deep dark eyes. "So, you want to be called William? How about Bill for short?" It was then the young horse neighed and kicked up his hind legs. With Sharon's hard dedicated caring work, a week later Bill, as he had deemed himself, was healthy as a horse and they were bonded for life. In fact, she trusted him with her life. The now stallion had great instincts and could almost sense danger around them before it happened.

Sharon traveled the main road out of town for what felt like over an hour. Though she was out there for work purposes, she enjoyed the quiet of the backcountry road. She couldn't remember such stillness surrounding her. She only heard the footfalls of the horses and the chirping of the crickets. She could get used to the quiet dirt paths with only the sounds of nature to keep her company. For now, she didn't miss the bustle of the big city. The calm seemed to help settle her over-thinking mind. For once, it didn't feel like her head would explode with all that was going on up there. The serenity and tranquility of the wide-open spaces seemed to slow down the world around her and in turn slowed her down too. It gave her peace of mind which was something she hadn't had in a long time. It was then Laura and Bill both started acting strangely. At first the chestnut let out several neighs and tugged at her reins. Next, there was a loud snort and the mare stopped abruptly.

Suddenly, Sharon was jerked backwards. She was completely thrown out of her saddle and landed on the ground with a thud. She could only grunt as the air got knocked out of her. Her horse came over and nudged her head, as if to make sure she was alright. "I'm fine, boy. I just need a minute to catch my breath." Laying on the hard-rocky dirt road, she thought so much for peace of mind and serenity. She took stock of her scuffed up body, relieved that nothing appeared to be broken. She knew before she could move, she needed to collect some air back in her lungs. Sharon took the moment to look up at the bright stars sparkling against the backdrop of the dark night sky. They were beautiful and it amazed her to see so many. Where she was from, she couldn't see the stars with all the lights of the city. Bill's neighing next to her ear brought her out of her thoughts. She knew he would be worried about her, she reached out to comfort him and stroked his muzzle to show him that she was ok. He let out a loud alarmed snort then Sharon's hand fell off his nose as he was getting pulled away from her.

She knew she should get up, for her safety mostly, because snakes and wild animals came out at night to look for food. She needed to find out what was spooking the horses.

Groaning, she took in a few short breaths then rolled over on her stomach and tried to slowly get herself to her feet. She staggered a little before getting her bearings. Sharon whistled then called out to her horse, but from what she could make out in the darkness, he was getting pulled by Laura since Andy's horse was tied to hers. She could tell the mare was determined to get to where she wanted to go.

After taking a few unsure steps, Sharon had to bend over and lean her hand on her knees to take a few short breaths. It was then she saw her hat lying beside her boots. It was her lucky hat, given to her by her father. It was one of her most prized possessions. She moaned from the aches as she reached down farther to pick it up. She then slowly stood as she gathered more air into her lungs. Slapping her hat against her leg a couple times to remove the dust, Sharon shook the hair out of her eyes, tucked it behind her ears and slid her hat back on. Feeling more like herself, she walked toward the sound of the horses ahead of her. As she got closer, between the horses' neighs, she heard a groan. She realized it wasn't coming from her this time.

She heard one of the horses stomp its hoof on the ground, but there was another noise in the darkness that stopped Sharon in her tracks. It was a moan of someone in agony. With only the light of a full moon to guide her, she cautiously followed the sounds of neighs and groans. After her eyes adjusted to the low light, she saw what looked like water spilled in the dirt. Even with being new to the area, Sharon knew there was no water nearby unless someone drained a canteen. Except out here, folks would be careful not to lose any precious water source, it could mean a harsh death in the sweltering daytime heat. With a deep breath, she smelled the scent of copper in the air and knew instantly that the liquid on the ground was a small puddle of blood.

Sharon's heart slowed at a sound she knew very well, it was a gun being cocked. When she heard a voice trying to calm the agitated horse, she relaxed a little. She had only once heard it before, but there was something about it. She wasn't sure if it was the tone, the texture of it or the man himself that made her feel instantly comfortable. As to not startle him, she whispered, "Mr. Flynn? It's Sheriff Raydor, your horse came back to town and led me out here. I've come to help."

"Leave it to Laura to save me. Oh, and think I've been shot," In his weak attempt to speak, he tried to sound casual about his injury.

Kneeling, she gasped at the sight below her. Sharon had no idea on how long the man had been lying out there hurt. Even in the moonlight, she could tell the force of the bullet had knocked him off his horse and sent him down into the small ditch full of thick underbrush. He was beat up and she didn't know how he survived it all. "Mr. Flynn, we have to get you to town and to the doctor."

He struggled to stand, but fell on to his back with another groan. "No, I'll be fine and please call me, Andy."

She cringed at the sound of his pain, then sat on her rear and carefully slid down the slight slope. "Mr. Flynn, you indeed have been shot and lost a lot of blood. You need a doctor immediately."

Andy sat up and tried to get to his feet again. "I'll be fine, my legs are good. I just need help to stand and I'll go to my ranch. I think I can make it up on Laura with a little help."

Sharon gave him a glare, "Hmmm, do you need help with the word immediately, Mr. Flynn?"

"Ugh, are you always this bossy?" He was having a hard time keeping his eyes open, let alone trying to continue talking.

"When it's for someone's own good, I am. So, are you ready, Mr. Flynn?" He gave her a reluctant head nod and they worked together to get him on his feet. With one of his arms over her shoulder and one of hers around his waist, they worked their way out of the ditch. It took even longer to go step by slow step to his horse. They were both exhausted and breathing heavily. There were moans and groans coming from both of them. If his life wasn't at stake, Sharon would be blushing right now at how all these sounds could be misconstrued.

She decided that there was no way she was taking him farther away from town. She had no idea where she was going and worried he would pass out at any moment. Sharon untucked her shirt and tore off a portion of the bottom to press against his wound to slow down the bleeding that had reopened after all the jostling. After she securely tied it around his arm and rested for a few more minutes, she got him back on his feet and attempted to get him on his horse. She had never man-handled another human so much. Either he didn't mind or he was in too much pain to care where her hands were when she pushed him up into the saddle. After another groan, he insisted once again, "it's Andy, Mr. Flynn was my father. Besides, after where your hands just were, we should be on a first name basis."

"Alright, Andy it is, for now." She wasn't used to being informal to someone she just met, or boosting them into a saddle for that matter. She was just glad the night hid the warmth rising in her cheeks.

He smirked at her as he said, "I like the way you say it. Can you say it again?"

Sharon was getting more and more frustrated. "We need to get you a doctor now, Andy!"

He laughed except it was more of a pained grunt. "With that tone, it's even better. Ah and this was just a little dust up. I've been through worse in my career?"

"Your career as a rancher?" Sharon raised an eyebrow in question.

Andy groaned again, "right, right, that's what I mean. Running a cattle ranch is a dangerous business."

"Well, we can talk about all this later, but for now let's get moving." She insisted.

"Bossy. I like that." Ignoring him, Sharon took Laura's reins, pulled herself up into her saddle with ease and nudged Bill into motion.

Things were quiet between them and that gave Sharon too much time to start over-thinking again. What surprised her the most about Mr. Flynn was that he didn't laugh at the thought of a woman helping him or the fact that she was the sheriff. In fact, it didn't seem to faze him at all. She shivered when she remembered how she helped him up. His arm was draped across her shoulder and his hand swung loosely along the top of her breast. His touch caused her to gasp. Through her flannel button-up shirt, she could feel the warmth of his fingertips, though the rest of his body was chilled from being exposed to the night air. As his hand grazed her again, Sharon was sure in Andy's state he wasn't doing it intentionally, but she was relieved when they made it to their horses. She eased him down on the ground so they both could rest and she could fight to get her breath back. She wanted to blame the fall and would not admit it was the man sitting next to her that was making her light headed. Even without them touching, Sharon still felt the effects he had on her, just his scent alone made her insides melt. Andy didn't smell like cows as she expected. He smelled of the rugged outdoors, fresh air and evening dew.

As they took to a slow trot, she thought about the things he mumbled in his pain induced stupor. "What's a woman like you doing in a place like this? How can someone smell so good and be that beautiful?" Did he really ask her, "if her denim jeans were tailored made just to fit her lovely rear-end?" He talked about all places he'd like to run his hands over her. Sharon couldn't believe how much his words affected her. She worked in was a "man's" world and was used to hearing things that made her cringe, but what Andy said just got her hot and bothered in a completely different way. She thought about how his breath felt against her neck when he whispered if she smelled this nice he could only imagine how she tasted. She had to shift in her saddle to settle the heat between her legs. Usually nobody liked her "bossy" attitude, as Andy had called it, not even her ex-husband. She was sure he was just delirious from the pain of being shot and the fall he took. She knew that once he was healed, he would want nothing to do with her.

Forcing herself out of her head, she was determined to do what she came to do and that was her job. She decided to ask, "Do you know who did this?" Sharon grew suspicious when he didn't answer her. So, she asked again a bit louder. With no answer again, she turned to Andy and grimaced when she saw he had passed out from the pain. He was lying forward on Laura's back. She was definitely glad she didn't listen to him about going to his ranch and instead headed back to town.

Sharon knew that traveling was the hard part, it had to be painful for him. Luckily for Andy, and for her, because she had no energy left to put the man back in his saddle if he fell, she could see the city lights up ahead. There would be people to help and Sharon was certain she didn't want to be that close to the man again. There was a dangerous air about him and she was done with tall handsome mysterious men.

Once they cleared the outskirts of town, Sharon could hear shouting, "she found him." "No way!" "That new lady sheriff made it back alive?" There was no mistaking the surprise in their voices that she had succeeded in the job she set out to do. She stopped both horses in front of her jail, but before she could get down they were surrounded by what looked like the whole town. With the crowd that gathered around, it was a lot easier to get his 'dead' weight off the horse than it was for both of them to get him in the saddle. In fact, she didn't have to do anything. Sharon was pushed back and left behind. She could hear Andy groaning as they carried him away. She heard her Deputy Provenza shout over all the chatter and gasps, "come on, let's get Flynn to Doctor Morales, now. Who knows how much blood he lost since it took _so_ long to find him. That is if he's not dead already!" That last part was yelled louder to make sure she heard it, not that she couldn't.

She followed the crowd to make sure Andy made it there safely enough. When he was through the doorway and laid on a bed, Sharon turned to walk away, but stopped to say sternly to the doctor, "he better wake up!"

 ** _~TBC~_**

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 ** _Thank you for the follows, favorites and reviews on the first chapter of this wild wild west AU idea._**

 ** _A/N:_** _Thanks to lissianne for betaing for me and for sprinkling in some of her creative words._


	3. Chapter 3

**_~There's a New Sheriff in Town~_**

 _ **Chapter 3**_

 **Disclaimer:** I sadly own nothin' of Major Crimes, nothin'!

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As the crowd disappeared down the street, Sharon rolled her eyes at Provenza's attempt to get to her. It didn't work, she had known men like him her whole life. She built up walls over time that helped keep her heart and emotions hidden. The barriers helped to not let comments like that get in. Some would even call her cold, her ex-husband being the best example.

In the now quiet night, she sat on the front steps of the jail and let out a sigh. What a way to start out in a new town, a new job and a new life. She was supposed to lay low, blend in and not draw attention to herself. She should have known better. Mayor Taylor had assured her they were a progressive town that would accept a female sheriff. With the welcome she received, Sharon got the feeling there was a lot the Mayor neglected to tell her. It was almost as if he was setting her up to fail. Well, she was strong-willed and stubborn enough to prove them all wrong, even a misogynistic like her deputy. If she were back in the big city, she would send him to sensitivity training for a month. She looked up at the twinkling sky and knew she'd just have to get used to their small-town ways if she was going to stay.

A deep voice startled her out of her thoughts, "Don't let Deputy Provenza get to you Ma'am, he hates everyone."

"Oh, I won't, but nice to know it might not be just me he doesn't like." Sharon smiled for the first time in a long while. She held out her hand, Hello, I'm Sheriff Raydor."

He gave her a half smile back, "I know who you are. A woman sheriff in a town like this doesn't go unnoticed, especially a beautiful one at that," he gave her a fuller quick smile. He stared at her outstretched hand before finally asking. "Ma'am? Are you ok?" When she gave him a confused look, he gestured to her palm and clothes. "Do you need any help? You are covered in blood."

"Oh, no it's, Andy's." He lifted an eyebrow at her. Sharon shook her head, "I mean, it's Mr. Flynn's."

With a nod he said, "if you are sure you are ok then. Also, even though nobody said it, we are grateful that you brought Flynn back alive. I am just a few buildings down, feel free to come on over if you ever need anything. The name is Julio Sanchez. I own the town's only saloon and I'll buy ya a drink."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Sanchez. I'll be sure to do that." Sharon laughed lightly at the wink he gave her before he left. She had a feeling Julio couldn't help that he oozed charm and flirting just came naturally to him.

As she sat there, Sharon was even more amused as her eyes settled on the horses in front of her. They seemed completely taken with each other, as if the world around them ceased to exist. She was surprised by Bill's reaction to Laura. She and her horse were a lot alike. They usually stayed on their own, unattached to people and things. For some reason, Sharon noticed Bill was drawn to Laura as much as she was drawn to Andy. She didn't understand her fierce connection to a man she barely knew and why it was so important to her heart to make sure he was going to survive.

She stretched out her legs and crossed her ankles as she leaned back to look up at the stars above her. She sighed, maybe she would need to leave this town a lot sooner than she expected. Sharon had been hopeful about having a new start, a place to put down roots, and to make herself a home. A loud neigh turned her attention from the amplitude of sparkling lights above her and back to the animals playfully nuzzling each other. She figured when she was done here, she'd take Mr. Flynn's horse with her. Sharon was sure the mare would be hungry and need a rub down from all she had been through. For now, she would leave them tied up at the water trough while they got better acquainted. She stood up, patted both horses, and whispered to Bill, "you take care of Laura until I get back." She didn't want the town to hear her talk to her horse. She had enough problems without them thinking she needed a doctor, or more likely a psychiatrist.

Sharon eventually followed the crowd, making sure she kept her distance. She didn't know anyone and from her not so welcome wagon greeting, they weren't the 'embrace the new' kind of folk. They did seem worried about Andy, so she gave them their time. She leaned back on a post across the street from the doctor's office, which was actually the undertaker's. The whole time Sharon stood there in the shadows, she asked herself why she was there? She could question him when he woke up, if he woke up that is. Why did she feel the need to see this man one more time? Her mind convinced her heart she was just doing her job.

Later, when the crowd dispersed, she made her way up the steps. The room was empty except for Andy who was now cleaned up and resting in bed. Sharon couldn't help but stare at him. He was so pale and lifeless. When she touched his hand, it was so cold she gasped. There was a creak of the floor behind her and her hand instantly went to her gun. She turned quickly to see what caused the sound. "Haven't you heard that it's dangerous to sneak up on someone that is armed, Doctor?" she asked with hint of humor.

"Hello to you too, Sheriff," Morales replied, his tone covered in snark. "Oh, I wasn't that quiet. You were just concentrating on something else or should I say someone else?" He backed up a few steps at the sharp glare he received. "Well anyways, the bullet went through and through. He'll live, but he's lucky you found him when you did. Probably another half hour out there and you'd be visiting him in a pine box."

Sharon cringed at the harshness of the doctor's statement, but that's how it was out here. You live or die. "Thank you, Doctor Morales. How long until I can ask him some questions about what happened?"

As he went around the room setting things back into order, Morales looked at his sleeping patient then at Sharon. "He'll be out all night. Probably in the morning would be best."

"Alright, then I'll see you tomorrow." Sharon took a few steps out the door, but stopped suddenly, remembering the young boy she promised to take into her care. She let out an exhausted sigh before asking the doctor, "can you tell me where Deputy Tao lives?" When he looked at her in question, she clarified herself, "he has a young charge staying there for a few hours. I was supposed to pick him up when I was done, but the night… hmmm, was a lot longer than I expected."

"Oh, you mean, Rusty?" Sharon nodded a yes. "He's been in here a few times and has caused other kids to be in here too. Once he put three boys his age in the infirmary for calling him a liar. They jumped him first, but he was sure to finish it. Have to say Rusty Beck will be a handful for you, Sheriff." Doctor Morales gave her the directions to the Tao's residence and walked away shaking his head.

Wonderful, Sharon thought as she headed out into the night. He wouldn't be the first adolescent to grace her home with their presence. Since she had raised two teenagers of her own, she had a tremendous capacity for ingratitude. The problem was she thought she was done raising kids. As she was passing the jail, she ran right into someone coming out of the door. She needed to start paying more attention to what was going on around her. They spoke at the same time, "sorry."

"Sorry. Holy crap! Sheriff, sorry." He held her arm so she didn't fall backwards.

Startled, Sharon raised her head realizing who she bumped into. "Oh, you're just the person I was looking for."

Deputy Tao nodded to her. "If you were looking for me to ask about Rusty, don't worry about him tonight. He was sound asleep when I left. My wife, Kathy is home looking after all the boys."

Sharon wondered if her face showed her relief as she said gratefully, "thank you, Mike and thank your wife for me too. I'll try and be by in the morning after questioning the victim."

Tao laughed, "you can try, but I don't think you'll get anything out of Flynn, Sheriff. He likes to handle things on his own and he's stubborn too."

"Guess we'll just see about that. I'm known to be a bit set in my ways too." Sharon shrugged at the understatement, since she was very tenacious when she needed to be. They stood there for a moment watching a few people pass by. The men offered hello to her deputy, but ignored her. Nothing new there, it was a man's world she was in. "Hopefully the rest of the night will be quiet," she said wistfully, more to herself, but loud enough for him to hear too.

"If anything happens beside a drunk getting rowdy at Sanchez's Sultry Dolls, I'll be sure to get you. Have a good night." He tipped his hat and continued down the boardwalk.

Sharon was exhausted when she finally made it to the bed and breakfast she currently called home. After talking to Deputy Tao, she spent an hour at the stables taking care of the horses and settling them in for the night. She shook her head that the stubborn animals insisted at being in the same stall. Now all she was looking forward to was a hot bath and a cozy bed. She leaned back on the closed front door. Letting out a long sigh, she took a moment to enjoy the quiet. Her peace was interrupted by an overly-excited voice causing her to jump, "good evening. I'm very happy you made it back." The woman looked at Sharon's clothes and asked worriedly, "Oh, no were you injured when you were out looking for Andy?"

It Amy Sykes, who owned the bed and breakfast. She was energetic and a bit over-eager to please. At any other time, her concern would be well received, but Sharon was too tired to deal with her exuberance tonight. So she just said, "not my blood," and moved forward, but she didn't have much room between the entryway and the hostess of the establishment. "Uh, could you, uh, could you pardon me for one moment?"

Amy stepped back to give her new guest some space to pass by. "Sure, and I should say congratulations for taking over as sheriff." Sharon did a double take at her as she made her way to her room. "Well deserved." She heard as she was half way out of the room.

The next morning while standing in the empty room, Sharon wanted to stomp her foot. "Ugh," she voiced out loud. By the time she finally made it to the doctor's office, Andy was gone. She shook her head at the empty bed and mumbled, "figures, just figures." From what others had told her and from the little personal experience she'd had with him for just a few hours, she knew he was stubborn. Well, he doesn't know who he is dealing with, she thought. It's a good thing for her that she was probably even more headstrong than him. She wanted answers and she was going to get them. She was even more determined now.

After talking to Doctor Morales, Sharon found out Andy was gone when he went in to check on him. Still tired from a fitful night's sleep, she rubbed her forehead and let out a "hmmm," as she contemplated her next plan of action. She had tossed and turned last night, from worrying about not being well liked by her peers and the towns people. It never bothered her too much before, but she was always able to keep her feelings shielded behind some well-worn armour. Personal feelings aside, she did deserve their respect for getting to where she was. They didn't have to like her, but they did have to listen to her. If it got worse, she was thinking of talking to Mayor Taylor again.

Sharon rubbed her forehead again. Actually, if she was honest with herself, what kept her tossing and turning most of the night was the handsome silver-haired cowboy who rode into her dreams. She had no idea why he crept into her thoughts and now even sleep couldn't keep him away. She didn't want to chase him down and hopefully she wouldn't need to save him again.

First she made arrangements with Deputy Tao to look in on Rusty, then got the horse's ready. Her steps quickened at the thought of Andy laying on the side of the trail after falling off his horse. He would be weak after losing so much blood. She wondered, who goes riding the day after they've been shot and thrown from their horse? She asked an once again grumpy Provenza for directions to Flynn's ranch and going against her head deputy's stern warning, she rode off on her own, at least she had the sunshine on her side this time. Sharon headed out in the heat of the day to pay her victim, or her witness, or maybe even her suspect a visit. Right now, the man was a true mystery.

 ** _~TBC~_**

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 ** _Thank you for reading my AU fic, for the follows, favorites and reviews. I do appreciate them._**


	4. Chapter 4

**_~There's a New Sheriff in Town~_**

 ** _Chapter 4_**

 ** _A/N:_** _Sorry for the slow update, but trust me it could be slooower. All I can say is life/adulting tends to get in the way!_

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With his eyes tightly closed, Andy sat at his desk trying to fight the pain that wracked his entire body. When he came-to with the doctor fussing over him, he convinced Dr. Morales to just stitch him up. It was against Morales's better judgment, but he did as he was asked. Then when Andy had the strength to stand, he left through the back entrance in the peaceful hours of dawn. He knew he was in no condition to be up and about, let alone to be riding, but it had to be done. Last night even as hurt as he was, he knew somehow the sheriff wasn't going to bring him to his ranch after she found him. What she did saved his life, but he was a sitting duck in town. At least at his ranch, he was safer and could see when someone was coming after him, well almost, since he didn't see the latest ambush. He knew who shot him and the guy wasn't going to give up until he had his revenge. Andy had known the scumbag would catch up with him sooner or later, but he didn't think it would be this quick.

He stood up to stretch some of the stiffness out of his body. He wasn't as young as he used to be. In his youth, after a tumble like last night, he would just dust himself off and carry on. Now he needed to be cautious of new and old health problems. His heart was what drove him to retire and start a cattle ranch. After a final arch of his back, he carefully moved over to the window. Andy slowly slid the curtain aside and checked out the area to make sure there were no threats lurking outside. With it all clear, he paused a moment to take in the scenery he called home. He realized he was wrong. He stiffened as he spotted a threat on the horizon. It was coming up quick, way too quick.

It took Andy a minute, but after he squinted, he relaxed as it dawned on him who it was and it struck his mind and heart. Even at a distance, there was no mistaking that figure or the hair flowing in the wind behind the rider. She was riding way too fast, though she seemed to enjoy it as much as he enjoyed watching her. He let out a breath of worry as the town's new sheriff rode at breakneck speed. When the silver stallion skidded to a dusty stop right at his doorstep, Andy turned to leave his study to greet the woman who had haunted his dreams last night.

From the death glare he received after opening the door, he knew he was in trouble, big trouble. He kind of liked the fire in her eyes when she was mad. It made him think of what she would be like in the heat of passion. As she moved past him into his house, he had to turn to the side to protect his injured shoulder. The quick movement made him groan, "careful I was shot, remember?"

Sharon looked at him with an, 'I can't believe you just said that look.' "Hmmm, oh no, I don't recall that, especially since I was the one that found you injured. Then you take off in the middle of the night, some thanks I get."

"If I didn't say it before, then thank you for saving my life, I am grateful." Andy gave her a genuine smile before disagreeing, "although no, I didn't sneak out in the middle of the night, it was early this morning." Andy knew this sheriff wouldn't take too kindly to him leaving no matter what time of day it was, but he had to get out of town. He also knew she was too smart for her own good and she would start putting the pieces together if he let her question him. Now that she was in his living room, it looked as if he'd have to deal with her anyway. Guess she couldn't take the hint when he disappeared. With the awkward silence growing, Andy decided to ease the tension by asking with a smile, "So, are you here to help me wrangle up my steers?"

While they had their stand-off, Sharon sized up her surroundings. It was a quaint, well-decorated home with nature's color palette throughout. It was nothing like what she imagined a man like him would live in, though for her the jury was still out on what kind of man actually he was. At his sorry attempt at humor, she turned to make eye contact with him and said firmly, "you know exactly why I'm here, Mr. Flynn!"

While she was taking in his abode, he was busy taking in her. At the moment, there was a glow in her cheeks and her hair was wild and probably closest to natural as she let it be. To him, she looked relaxed when she stopped her horse, even as dangerous as that ride was. Except now, as he slid his eyes over her, he noticed she stiffened and was all business. When their eyes connected again, he made no effort to hide his admiration of her. "I thought we talked about this, I'm Andy and you are?" He took a chance for her to give him permission to use her given name.

She huffed at his forwardness answering him in a serious tone, "and I am… Sheriff Raydor."

"I can work with that, Sheriff," Andy smirked as he made sure she heard the soft slow tone he used on her title. "Would you like a drink? That was a long ride from town, though you rode like a bat-out-of-hell, you probably cut hours off."

She didn't want to admit that she was affected by the way this man looked at her and the way he said her rank was like nothing she ever heard. In fact, it should be illegal. Sharon wondered if maybe she should write up an amendment to add to the local laws about just that. As she thought of the correct wording, she licked her lips realizing she was very thirsty. It was a long dry ride out to Flynn's ranch. Sharon knew she had pushed Bill getting there, but it had been a long time since either of them had let their hair down and cut loose, metaphorically speaking, of course. Honestly, it was quite invigorating, she thought. She had happily let Bill control his own pace and enjoyed the wind through her hair. At her thoughts mentioning her hair, she knew it probably looked like a rat's nest. Sharon fought the temptation to take her hat off and run her fingers through the tangled mess to try and tame it. Oh well, it is what it is. She wasn't there to impress anyone, she was there to do a job. She didn't see a reason why they couldn't be cordial with each other, even if they were on opposing sides of the law and her life was run by laws and rules. Finally, she decided to accept his offer, "actually a glass of water would be nice but first… I need to take care of Bill."

Andy asked confused, "Bill?" He looked around, "Who's Bill?"

"I'm sure he's thirsty," Sharon said ignoring his question as she made her way over to her horse who waited by the front steps. She patted the still heavy breathing steed on the side then stroked his neck as she whispered, "I'm sorry, I should have gotten you water right after a ride like that."

"Wait? Your horse's name is Bill and you talk to him?" Andy was surprised.

Sharon turned quickly, worried he would think she was losing her mind. She leveled her eyes at him, but before she could speak, Andy continued. He held his hands up at her glare, "no, need to get defensive. I completely understand. Laura, that's my horse's name, by the way, is my best friend and we have conversations all the time. Though she gets frustrated with me when I don't listen to her."

Sharon couldn't help but smile, "Now, that I can see. From what I can tell you would have a hard time taking advice from anyone."

He conceded with a nod, "true, very true, but I could be persuaded by the right someone." Andy winked at her then laughed at the shock on the sheriff's pretty face. "How about we get Bill that drink, then he and Laura can get acquainted."

She took his reins and followed him, leading the horse to the stables as she mentioned, "Oh, they have already met. I think Bill is quite taken with Laura."

"Already met?" He wondered more to himself, then Andy realized, "that's right last night when you saved me, you had Laura with you."

She shook her head, "actually it was Laura that saved your life, not me. She was the one that found you."

"Animals do have a heightened sense of smell. Whereas my trusted and loyal mare may have discovered me, it was you that stopped the bleeding and got me out of that ditch. Then you helped or rather pushed me onto my saddle and got me back to town." Andy saw she was about to ask him more questions about what had happened to him, so he quickly kept talking. "Since they know each other, we can let them run in the corral where there are fresh water and hay." Together they got the horses into the large pen and watched them interact as if they had known each other a lifetime. They stood side by side as they drank from the large trough. Andy said in awe, "I've never seen Laura like this with anyone animal or human, well besides me."

Sharon draped her arms on the top of the fence and rested a booted foot on the bottom rung while they continued to observe the horses. Andy stood next to her in the same position. Without looking at him, she couldn't help herself as she asked, "So does that make you human or an animal?"

Andy let out a hearty laugh. "So, you do have a personality under that gun and sheriff star."

She pushed off the fence and started back to the house. "I guess you'll just have to find that out for yourself. Won't you?" With her dry throat, Sharon's voice was raspier than usual, making her words sound that much more suggestive. She shocked herself and couldn't believe what she had said. She walked a little faster as if to escape what his reply might be. She didn't play games, unlike her ex-husband, who did and still does for that matter. She had no desire to start one with Andy Flynn. What was wrong with her? She took a glance upward, it must be the rays of the sun beating down on her. That had to be it, she had just been out in the sun too long. The heat had gotten to her and she couldn't think straight. Sharon coughed to cover the groan of disapproval in herself as she hurried her steps.

Andy turned as she left, but stayed where he was. His boots were rooted to the ground from the sexy husky tone and the shock of her answer. He never expected someone so straight-laced would say something that inviting. She did have her ways of surprising him. He smirked thinking it was almost as if his sheriff was flirting. That thought stopped him, he meant the, _the_ sheriff. Now he shocked himself, when did he start thinking of her as his? It was probably when he realized he had come to find her completely irresistible.

Relaxing a bit, Andy leaned back against the fence post, slid his hands in his pockets and admired the view. It wasn't his ranch that held his attention, though he never tired of being out there. It was the beautiful independent woman and the swing of her hips that had him entranced. He had never seen someone wear a pair of denim pants like Sheriff Raydor. The material accentuated the figure they were protecting and then there was the way she wore her gun belt low on her hip. With a growing smile, Andy's thoughts took him back to the disaster that was last night. Even with being shot and almost dying, he wouldn't have missed the experience. He would never forget the feel of his fingertips on the swell of her breast. Though it started by complete accident, it possibly happened a few more times on purpose. Through the flannel shirt she wore, he felt her heat and found it addicting.

A smile graced his face as he remembered her hands and where they had been. Andy knew she only touched him that way to help move him and save his life. He could still feel the pressure of her palms as she pushed him up on his horse. He groaned at the memories. He only saw her for a few minutes before he passed out, but even in his pain filled haze, he was taken in by the woman. It wasn't until today when he opened his door and let in the steaming mad sheriff that he noticed her eyes. As she glared at him, he saw they were a piercing green. They were the kind that could see inside someone's soul and make them confess to crimes they didn't commit.

When he heard her clear her throat, Andy remembered he hadn't gotten their drinks yet. So, with a sad smile, he regrettably quit his admiration of the picturesque scene in front of him. He gathered his thoughts and tucked them away... for now and followed her to the house. As he caught up to her he mentioned, "I am being a horrible host. Sorry, that I haven't gotten your refreshment yet. It's very rude of me."

Sharon jumped at his voice next to her, slowing her over-thinking mind. To cover her reaction, she shrugged as she kept walking and replied, "really, don't worry about it, I'm fine. It's not as if I was invited, I just showed up at your doorstep."

"I happen to not mind you showing up here anytime, too bad the circumstances weren't better." He paused a moment to gauge her reaction, "You know, the way you rode in here was inspiring. Looked to me you grew up on a horse. Maybe you could tell me about where you learned to ride like that? Did you grow up on a ranch?" He took a chance with the next question. "Or did your husband teach you?" He didn't see a ring on her left hand but didn't know how a woman as beautiful and intelligent as her wouldn't have been swooped up.

Stopping suddenly, Sharon directed her eyes to the interesting rocks that lay at her feet before slipping back into her sheriff mode. She had let her amour down, there was something about Andy that did that to her and she barely knew him. Her eyes were a stern green as she firmly stated, "I am here to ask _you_ the questions not the other way around. So, if you are wanting to talk so badly let's start with, who are you really? What is this so-called earlier career you mentioned? Who shot you? Who wants you dead? With the scruffy scoundrel you seem to be, there's probably plenty, but who would actually go through the trouble?"

At the sharpness of her questions, he knew as in trouble, big trouble. He choked back the lump in his throat. Knowing he had pushed his luck, Andy changed the subject again, "umm, I'll just go get our drinks now." As he headed into the kitchen, he knew she had turned the tables on him quite well and that he was asking things that were too personal in nature. He put the drinks and a few small snacks on a tray to bring to her. Before picking it up with his good arm, he ran both hands along his jawline and felt the stubble. It had been awhile since he had shaved. Living out there, he had really no reason to, but maybe now he did. Shaking his head with a laugh, he probably was scruffy looking and he certainly could behave like a scoundrel.

Andy had no doubt that he had met someone that could go toe-to-toe with him. He found that exhilarating but mostly it worried him. He needed to keep his mind focused on one thing. Was the gorgeous sheriff too much of a distraction for him? Could he secure both his and her safety?

 _ **~TBC~**_

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 ** _Thank you for reading my AU fic, for the follows, favorites and reviews. I appreciate them._**

 ** _A/N:_** _Thanks to lissianne for trying to catch all my errors and for sprinkling in her creative magic_ _._


	5. Chapter 5

**_~There's a New Sheriff in Town~_**

 ** _Chapter 5_**

 ** _A/N:_** _Once again, I'm so s_ _orry for the slow update:(_

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While Andy was in the kitchen getting their refreshments, Sharon had time to try and collect herself, but also it gave her overthinking mind time to conjure up harsh memories. When he asked if her husband had taught her to ride, scenes from her painful past flashed in front of her. She tried not to think of her ex too often. It usually caused her frustration and anger to build and ruined her day. Sharon didn't know where Jack was anymore, and if she was honest with herself, she long ago gave up caring where he went or who he was with. The last time she saw him, he tried to make her jealous by mentioning his French girlfriend. She was just happy he stayed away from her. Sometimes she worried that she would run into him in some rundown saloon, but the odds of that happening were slim to none. Her ex couldn't stand the quiet and serenity of small-town life. He preferred the loudness and action of a big city.

Looking out on the beautiful expanse before her, Sharon sighed. Whereas she didn't regret leaving her family's ranch to follow Jack's dreams when they married, if she hadn't, she wouldn't have Emily and Ricky. No matter how different her life had turned out than she had planned, she would never regret having her children. They were the two best things she ever got from that man. She did regret some choices she made, the biggest regret would be staying with him for as long as she did. For far too long she tried to keep their marriage together, but it was a difficult task when he was hardly ever home.

Now that her kids were adults with lives of their own, she decided to take a chance and change her life or to really start living her own life. Sharon had only told her kids where she was going. She had taken this position to get out the city where Jack always seemed to crawl back to when he needed a place to stay or needed money. What she needed was to get away from her controlling, deadbeat ex-husband. Before she finally fought to divorce him, he would leave them whenever he felt like it and expect her to be home waiting for him. Where he was never violent toward her or their kids, he was very persuasive and oozed charm, though it didn't affect her anymore. She learned the hard way that his charm didn't pay the bills or put their kids through college. It was just easier for them to avoid running into him altogether. His manipulation skills came in handy in his line of work, when he was working that is.

Jack was once a big-time powerful lawyer that lost it all including his family when he took to drinking and gambling. The addictions were more important than his family. Every once in awhile when he would actually sober up he'd try to convince her that he was a changed man. Then he would turn that charm on and say that they could make a go of it once again. When she turned him down, he would turn bitter and get nasty. He told her it was her fault he left. He said maybe he would've stayed around longer if she would've stopped nagging him all of the time and that she shouldn't have been so cold. He always liked to add that she would never be anything without him. She'd tell herself not to let his words get to her, but no matter how many times she repeated that in her head, self-doubt always crept into her thoughts.

Now with this sheriff star pinned to her chest, even if it was given to her by Mayor Taylor because he thought he could control her, she earned it through hard work. Her reputation spoke for itself. She wouldn't mind bumping into Jack in what she now thought of as her town, especially if he was up to his regular old tricks. Sharon smiled at the thought of locking him up in one of her jail cells and seeing his shocked face as she closed the bars and turned the key.

Then there was Andy. Something about him told her she was safe with him. Thinking of him gave her a completely different feeling than when she thought of Jack. Sharon felt a flutter in her stomach. She hadn't had that feeling since she as a young girl and Jack was using all his boyish charms on her. No, this was different than before though, Andy was all man and he made her feel like a woman with needs that were long ago forgotten. Just a look from him made her feel like she was wanted and desired. He didn't treat her like she was less than him or she was out of her element as if she should be at home raising kids and not trying to force herself into a man's world.

When he returned, his deep voice asked, "Why don't we take our drinks out to the porch and enjoy the summer breeze?" That brought Sharon out of her thoughts. She noticed Andy didn't wait for a reply, he just gave her a lopsided smile and left her to stand there.

She didn't move, even though her brain told her to get on her horse and hightail it out of there. This man wasn't going to cooperate with her, but the quickening rhythm beating against her chest as she watched him swagger by was enough to suggest she stay and give him a chance. Reluctantly, Sharon gave in and decided to follow the tempting sight before her, only because she wanted answers. At least that what her mind was convincing her tell-tale heart.

He had set down a tray that had a pitcher, two glasses and a large bowl of fruit on it by the time she made it to the table. She eyed him cautiously as he stood there waiting. As much as he made her feel at ease she couldn't allow herself to let her guard down fully. Andy pulled a chair out for her and with a sweeping gesture with his hand as he said with a smirk, "your chair awaits."

After recovering from the shock of his gentlemanly gesture, Sharon offered a soft, "thank you," as she sat down in the chair he had held out for her. She was coming to realize that this Andy Flynn was full of surprises. She hadn't experienced that kind of chivalry since before she traded her fancy silk dresses for denim jeans, flannel shirts, cowboy boots and the silver-star that she wore on her chest. Even back then it was mostly false gallantry, something men used on women to get what they wanted, but with Andy, she could tell it was all genuine. He sat across from her and filled two glasses with the clear chilled liquid. "Water?" Sharon asked, almost not believing that was what he was drinking. " _You_ are drinking water?"

Andy tipped his head at her then took a long drink. After wiping the escaped droplets off his lips with the back of his hand he said, "I happen to like a cool glass of water on a hot day. What did you expect?"

Sharon looked at the glass in her hand then she shrugged, "I don't know, something much stronger. Honestly, you strike me as a whiskey kind of man."

"Used to be, but I've been sober for about twenty years now." Andy took a moment to reflect on his past, his ex-wife and the kids he didn't see often enough before adding, "I learned that lesson the hard way."

She took in the sadness in his voice and since she knew all too well what alcohol and other addictions can do to a person, she decided not to press the issue. Anyway, she had more pertinent questions she needed answers to, so she decided to let it go and give them both a moment. They sat in the quiet enjoying the shade, water, and the fresh fruit for a few more minutes before Sharon had to ask, "So, are you going to answer any of my questions or not?"

Andy smiled as he openly took in the tenacious sheriff. She presented herself as all business, but he could see more of her. There was something about this woman that made him want to explain everything to her, even though he knew he shouldn't. She was a mystery to him and he was curious to learn more about her. He knew it was dangerous for her out here. It was just too hard for him to ask her to leave, though he knew already Sheriff Raydor didn't do anything she didn't want to do. She turned from looking at the surroundings to level a penetrating gaze at him. Andy figured he had to give her some information or she'd never let up. He leaned forward setting his half-empty cup down as he spoke, "I'm not sure I know much that will help you understand what's going on." She wasn't buying it so he backtracked when her eyes narrowed, "I'm not sure how much I can tell you, but it's good to remember that things aren't always as they seem. That is one thing I can say."

When she narrowed her eyes at him, Andy saw she was probably ready to arrest him and bring him back into town. He couldn't let that happen, so he tried to distract her by asking, "Can I interest you in a tour of the ranch?" This time her eyes widened and he couldn't bring himself to look away, he was fascinated by her. He could tell she was trying to process his idea and was running over all the reasons of why she shouldn't accept his offer, so he threw in an option he didn't think she could resist. "We can take the horses. I'm sure Laura would like to get out and stretch her legs."

Sharon was hesitant and a bit leery of Andy, as he requested she call him over and over. He had been shot and usually, it wasn't law-abiding citizens that ended up laying in a ditch bleeding to death from a bullet in their shoulder. Her instincts were telling her this cowboy, who was sitting across from her drinking an innocent glass of water, was nothing but a scruffy looking scoundrel, even though in all of her interactions with him, he acted like a gentleman. She knew she should interrogate him and get some answers, maybe she could do that if they both were more relaxed as he showed her his land. She watched him watch her as she ran all the scenarios through her always thinking mind. It was nostalgic to be sitting on a porch like this. She did miss her family's homestead. Could she trust him enough to be out here alone with him? Even more so, could she trust herself? The problem was she was starting to find Andy Flynn quite irresistible. Did she want to spend more time with him or should she just haul her witness or suspect back to town? Again, his voice broke her mind from analyzing the situation.

"We can walk and talk," he blurted out. Andy knew that she was over-thinking again, so he figured he would help her decide.

She questioned curiously, "Hmmm, walk and talk?"

"You can walk and talk, can't ya, Sheriff?" Andy knew she wasn't about to turn down a challenge.

Sharon stood up quickly causing the chair she was sitting in to screech loudly as it slid backward. She stared down at him as she asked, "Seriously? Fine, let's go." She turned and with sure steps, she made her way to the stable. She knew exactly what he was trying to do and Sharon tried her hardest to make sure he couldn't tell how he affected her.

He let her lead the way. Andy had no problem following this woman. One reason was because of the view she gave him. Watching her walk, made him smile and it was obvious that she knew her way around a ranch. Realizing he was wool gathering too long, he picked up his pace to catch up with her.

She heard the gravel crunching as he hurried to walk beside her. On their way to the horses, they passed a man watching them from the bunkhouse, Andy gave a head nod to him. Seeing his subtle movements, she followed his line of sight to see a rather nice looking young man standing off by the barn. "Who's that?" She asked suspiciously.

"He's here helping me with…" Andy caught himself, there was just something about this woman that made him want to tell her everything, almost. He started again, "that just my foreman, Wes Nolan. He's here helping me… run the place."

She had taken in the man's appearance with just one glance and she wasn't buying what Andy was trying to sell her. Shaking her head and with a snort, she asked, "you expect me to believe that?"

Andy looked from Sharon to the man to her again and asked, "Why do you say that?"

"I'd say he..." Sharon tilted her head towards the younger man, "is no more a rancher than you are and there is no way that man is just a foreman. To explain my reasoning, it's because Mr. Nolan's shirt is way too pressed and starched, his denim jeans are brand new. His boots have barely been worn enough to have scuffs from working outside. His hands from this distance look too clean, too soft. His hair is a bit too perfect, especially in this heat and dirt. Also, he's too pale to have been working outside under this intense sunshine."

He had told the others that Wes wasn't going to fit in well. He was just too clean cut, too fresh since he couldn't think of a better way to describe the young man. Guess he was right again. Andy was impressed, "have to say you are good. You don't miss a thing, do you?"

She shrugged, "It's my job to notice the details." Sharon took one last look at his so-called foreman. "To me, he looks more like a model than a cowboy. So, who is he really?"

Andy paused a moment, not liking the feeling of jealousy that hit him as Sharon talked about Nolan. He had to stop himself from making a snide remark about her liking one of his associates and ruin the camaraderie they were slowly building. He decided to go in a different angle instead, "So many questions already and we haven't even gotten to the ones about me. How about we make a deal?"

Sharon stopped and turned to Andy and asked surprised, "Wait, what? How did you know I like deals?"

Andy shrugged as he looked over at her. "Oh, I don't know. You just strike me as a woman who does. So, can we make a deal?"

She continued onward following a well-beaten path in the land. "That depends on the deal."

"You ask me a question, I ask you a question." When she shook her head no, he amended the deal. "You ask me two questions, you answer one of mine?"

Sharon held her hand out to shake his as she kept walking, but when his large one engulfed hers, it held her still. She looked at their joined hands to his dark brown eyes and finally gave in, "fine, deal." She kept her voice even when she spoke to try and hide the fact that his warm hand in hers had affected her whole body. "Though, I don't know why you want to know anything about me?"

"Oh, I assure you, Sheriff, I find you quite fascinating." Andy held onto the soft, but strong hand longer than necessary. He found it hard to let go when all he wanted to do was pull her closer to him. Instead of doing what he really wanted to do, he said, "Deal." He then he repeated her statement, "I don't know what you want to know about me, though I do live an exciting life as a rancher." He finally let go of her hand and started walking again. He then muttered under his breath, "though it's been quite exciting lately."

"Hmm, what was that? I didn't quite hear." She had been admiring the view and couldn't decide, which she liked better, the bright blue sky or the stream nearby that was clear as glass.

He wasn't surprised that Sheriff Raydor had picked up on his whisper. He was coming to realize that this woman was capable of anything. He took two long strides to be next to her again, then he answered, "Oh, just that I never said I'd answer the questions. I only agreed that you could ask them," and he threw in a wink as he kept walking.

She rolled her eyes. Sharon had now known him long enough to get his offbeat sense of humor. What surprised her is that she actually got it and she got him. They were at ease around each other, he seemed to get her too and that scared her. Not that any of that mattered, she was here to do a job and to prove that she could do it well. Not missing a beat, she retorted with, "Mr. Flynn, to me a deal is a deal, so you can either answer my questions out here or you can be sitting inside a jail cell instead. The choice is up to you, but I'd suggest that you decide now, I don't have time for these games of yours."

"Ok, then shoot." She raised an eyebrow, then they both looked down at the gun on her hip. When their eyes met again, Andy gave her a lopsided grin as he said, "well, not literally. I mean go ahead and ask me what you need to know."

Sharon was searching for so many answers but chose to start with an easier question. "To start with, why did you leave the doctor's office and skip town when you still needed medical care? You could have died."

"Do you blame me?" Andy laughed, "when I first came to, Provenza was in my face. I thought, so there is a hell." Seeing her skeptical look, he added, "don't worry about your old grumpy deputy. It, not just you, he doesn't like anyone." He took a moment before asking one of the questions what he really wanted answered, "So, you know many scoundrels?" When he saw her steps stumble, he laughed and reminded her. "You did call me a scruffy scoundrel. That's my question for you. I was just wondering how many of us you know and how well?"

His question caught her off guard and she did miss a step, but now she was at a full stop with her hands folded across her chest. "Oh no, the second part of mine wasn't a question. It was a statement, so that was only, yes I have known a few scoundrels in my professional life and my private life." Her mouth snapped closed. Why in the world did she just tell him something so personal? To cover up her slip, she quickly asked, "So in this dusty little town, is anybody who they say they are?"

Andy rubbed his hands together and laughed loudly, "I am impressed. I have to say nicely done, Sheriff." They walked in silence down a trail he'd never traveled before. After a few minutes, he asked, "Have you ever heard of a bait and trap?"

Sharon suspected there was more here than meets the eye and with what he had told her so far, she knew she was only scratching the surface. When she realized he wasn't beside her, she turned and caught Andy staring off into the distance toward where their horses had wandered. They watched the animals smell the ground and smash their hooves in the tall grass as if to dig up something interesting that they had found. Now standing next to him, she answered, "Yes, of course, I know what a bait and trap is." Then she said in jest, "my next question would be, are you the bait or the one they are trying to trap?"

 ** _~TBC~_**

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 **A/N:** In the last chapter, there is an "Easter egg" from the Closer era, that if you caught it, it would be a clue to who shot or is after Andy. Hmmm? The hint is mixed in with a homage to a favorite classic ship of mine and many of us I'm sure... from Star Wars. Just a little shout out to Leia and Hans with the "scruffy" comment from Sharon. Like Shandy, they are another ship that started out angsty, grew to a friendship than to a romantic relationship. A thank you to bostongal for the idea to add a bit of the classic Star Wars ship into this fic. Yep, there is obviously some #BSG #Rodama ship in here as well, with the horses.

Oops! I'm rambling again, anywho... here's to Leia who is and will always be an inspiration to most girls and women. From Princess to General! Basically, a badass powerful woman that knew what she wanted and didn't back down. She was determined, worked hard, and got it. Thank you, Carrie Fisher, you are gone but not forgotten. RIP

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 ** _Thank you for reading my AU fic, for the follows, favorites and reviews. I really appreciate them._**


	6. Chapter 6

**_~There's a New Sheriff in Town~_**

 ** _Chapter 6_**

 ** _Disclaimer:_** I own nothin' of Major Crimes, nothin'! Honestly, if I did, I wouldn't have done what Duff did. To quote Mary from Twitter, "jst sayin." I enjoy angst but still need a happy ending.

 _ **A/N:** After the last few episodes of Major Crimes I figured "living" in an **AU** Shandy world is my happy place. So, I'll be on the good ship SS Shandy floating down the river d'Nile if ya all want to come by for a visit and say hi ;) __Cuz as Mark Twain once said, "_ Denial ain't just a river in Egypt!"

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As she looked over to where the horses stood, Sharon suddenly realized that she didn't have to use her hat to shield her eyes from the bright, blazing sunlight. She curiously turned to the horizon, if the crimson sunset before her was any indication, they had been walking and talking, at Andy's suggestion, for some time now. She was so engrossed in the moment, and the man with her, that time had flown by. The air turned a bit chillier as dusk settled on the land around them and a shiver coursed through her body. Keeping her gaze off in the distance, she thought out loud. "Hmmm, wonder what Bill and Laura are into?" Sharon then took a step over to the horses to investigate.

Andy had a hard time taking his eyes off of her but managed to glance in the general direction Sharon was looking, then shrugged. He knew she wasn't necessarily asking him, she was just using her analytical inquisitive instincts. He watched her move ahead then he took a few quick steps to be beside her. "Honestly, I've never been down this path or this far back on the land before."

Walking next to him, Sharon looked at Andy curiously and asked, "How long have you been living here?" She really couldn't believe that this man was from a ranching family, but she would have to admit to herself there was a mysterious air about him.

As they headed over to see what the horses were up to, Andy took a moment to explain, "This is my family's land, though it's just me and my sister now. She's married but when she got sick her husband took her back to the East Coast. He said they could get better medical help for her there. We were relieved when she recovered after a long battle and is doing fine now." He paused before finally confessing, "Oh, I do have an older brother, but… he… well… um..." Andy didn't want to go there and knew he shouldn't have brought him up, but it was easy to talk to her, probably too easy.

Sharon stopped walking and looked up at him. She gave him her full attention as he continued with more truths of his past. "You wanted to know about me, and this might go too far back, but my family moved here from New Jersey and my father bought this land. He wanted his family far away from the dangers of the big city. Little did he know that there were probably more hidden dangers out west. He literally worked himself to death trying to keep the ranch running. This land was in his blood and his blood is in this land, but it was never in mine. Mom passed not long after we lost dad. My brother stayed to help the family for a while, but he left for other… let's just say other opportunities. I had long ago ran as far and as fast as I could from this dust choking farm and made my own life."

Sharon nodded as she took in everything he told her, but hadn't missed that Andy didn't go into much detail about his brother. To see if he would let her delve deeper into his life, she dared to ask her second question, "Where is your brother now?"

Knowing she wasn't going to let something about his past go, he wanted to be honest with her. He said he would be truthful, but he didn't want her to judge him more than she already had, not that he blamed her. He was being pretty shady with her, but he had his reasons. After a few minutes of hesitation, he finally decided he needed to answer, though he didn't want to air personal family drama. Remembering his promise to answer Sharon's questions, he said quickly and flatly, "he's still serving his time in prison." Andy worried he had stirred her suspicions and that beautiful mind of hers would jump to the conclusion that he had been or should be behind bars with his brother, not that he was the one who put him there. Andy changed the subject back to the matter-at-hand to avoid being pressed for more information than he wanted to share at the moment. "What I was trying to explain is that this trail we are on doesn't feel familiar, though it's been years since I've been here." Scanning the trampled ground, he said, "This path is new and possible only been created recently."

She let the family history knowledge he just gave her go for now, but she filed the information away in the back of her mind for later. There were more imperative things to deal with right now. Sharon looked around them, to the field they had entered, to the tall trees surrounding them. She noticed there was only one trail leading in or out. They were secluded, and so would anyone else be that didn't want to be disturbed or seen accidentally. In her mind, it would be a good place for criminal activity. As she took in the view, she inhaled a deep breath of the fresh air. It was too bad there was more to Andy Flynn than met the eye or she'd be enjoying herself more. Surveying where he indicated the ground was trampled by their boots she agreed, "yes, the grass on this so-called path hasn't had that much time to be packed down, but the area by Bill and Laura looks well-traveled. The meadow seemed to be used to…" Sharon stopped mid-sentence. Feeling his eyes on her, she turned to him and questioned, "What?"

Andy had been once again watching her as she analyzed everything around them He wouldn't confess that to her, but it made him wonder. Ignoring her findings, he asked what was weighing on his mind, "Why do you fit in so well out here, Sheriff? Since you seem to think I stick out on my family's land, how is that you don't mind the dust, dry air, the insects, and the agonizing heat? In fact, all this…" He looked around them then continued, "doesn't affect you at all, doesn't? Here I am…" he lifted his cowboy hat and ran a hand through his damp hair, "here I am sweating, ready to pass out if we don't seek shelter soon but you, you still look amazing."

Sharon saw his eyes darken as he looked at her. She, in-turn glared at him and let Andy's compliment go. She tried not to let him see that there was one thing out there that did affect her and that was him. She crossed her arms over her chest as she said, "To clarify I never said that I thought you were out of place here." Sharon gave him a slight smile as she added, "the thought had crossed my mind though." It wasn't that he couldn't physically handle the hard work a ranch demanded, she thought, Andy Flynn was in great shape. She just had come to the conclusion he hadn't been out in the country for some time. To change the subject she was uncomfortable with, she glanced over to where the horses were and asked, "So, what do you think…

Andy quickly cut her off, "Nope. He shook his head smiling at her shocked face. He didn't think many people dared to interrupt her. Her pose and death glare were intimating, but he was brave or at least he thought he was until he met this Sheriff Raydor. He held up two fingers and with a light tone he said, "You asked yours."

Adamantly, she shook her head. "Wait, you asked me, I think it was three questions about how this mild weather is not bothering me."

He crossed his arms and matched her stance. "In which case you didn't answer, any of them and they were one in the same. I answered your questions, it's my turn, you made a deal. Are you going back on your word?"

She made a snort sound in disbelief. "I never go back on a deal and especially not my word."

"So, what you are admitting is that I'm right, it is my turn to ask a question and this weather is not mild. It's got be about hundred and fifty degrees out here." Andy smiled as Sharon laughed at his overdramatizing. In truth, he had been trying to distract her from where their horses were. He didn't like the way the hairs stood up on the back of his neck. He picked up on a certain vibe around this area and it was giving him a bad feeling. There was definitely something up and it wasn't going to be a good something. Andy was trying to keep her attention on him, but he was also still curious about one of his first questions. He asked, "Did your husband teach you to ride like that or does risking your life come to you naturally?"

Sharon was surprised by his question, it was a bit too personal, but they had an agreement and he did answer hers. She tilted her head and looked at him under the brim of her hat. "Hmmm, you seem to be pretty good at catching details too."

Andy gave her a smirk, "Well, it's not hard when all I had to do was stand back and admire the way you rode your horse."

She narrowed her eyes at him. Sharon knew Andy was just waiting for her reaction and figured laughing wasn't what he expected, but that is just what she did. She had a good laugh at the thought of Jack riding a horse or even teaching her to ride for that matter. Trying to picture it made quite a sight in her mind. Her husband didn't ride and wanted nothing to do with ranch life. Small towns had backward thinking in Jackson's book. He was always looking for something bigger and better, he said he could only find that with big city life. When Sharon noticed Andy was staring at her strangely she realized she hadn't answered his question yet, but first, she declared, "hey, girls ride too, you know!

Once again, he found that he couldn't stop looking at her. Before Sharon had grown serious again, she had laughed. For a moment, she let her guard down and the laughter spilled out. Her whole face lit up and he was drawn to her light. Her green eyes sparkled and the sound, the sound of her laugh sent a shiver down his spine then throughout his body. He shook his head. He tried to stop thoughts he shouldn't be thinking. The thoughts of what he wanted to do to this beautiful take-no-crap sheriff. Andy swallowed then finally found his voice, "Oh, believe me I know and have no objections. I've seen it with my own eyes and it's quite a sight."

Sharon ignored his flirting, if that's what he was doing. She wasn't too sure since it had been a long time since anyone flirted with her and even longer since she attempted to flirt with anyone. After composing herself, she mentioned, "I did grow up on a ranch, well I did until I got married, then Jack and I moved to the city." Sharon rolled her eyes at herself, here she was again offering more about her personal life than she needed to. There was just something about Andy that made it easy to talk to him. She could tell he wasn't judging her and he was actually interested in what she had to say. It had been so long since felt like that, she just let it flow. She would make sure to get all the information she needed out of him, though. They walked a few more feet. "It was my father." When he lifted an eyebrow at her she continued, "it was my father that taught me to ride. He was an avid rancher and horse trainer and I adored my father, so I love riding and ranch life."

Andy smiled at the memory she was reliving. He could see her as the daddy's girl she must have been. "I have to say, the country life sure does agree with you."

Sharon rolled her eyes at him and didn't reply as she started walking again. They were silent as they got closer to the horses, both taking the time to attempt to process the personal information they had shared.

The light faded and a cool breeze blew by them. Andy sighed, grateful to have a break from the heat. He used the quiet moments between them to study the surroundings. He was now focused on the land and not the sheriff. He was starting to put all the pieces together. They had definitely walked farther than he had thought, but it was what the horses happened on to that gave it all away. It was what he came back to his ranch for in the first place. It was also why he didn't want to have the sheriff involved. Andy knew he needed to get to the ranch to notify Nolan and the others of what he found. This was the very thing they were looking for and it wasn't good.

As he contemplated on whether he should fill her in on what was really going on or to get her out of there as soon as possible, the horses acted up in alarm and neighed loudly. Then there was a crack in the air. There were no storm clouds in the sky and the breeze had stopped. No air seemed to move at all anymore. In fact, all around them was still. To Andy, that only meant one thing. Before he had a chance to yell out, Sharon shouted, "Get down," and pushed him. They came to a stop after tumbling a few times down a small dirt incline and to Andy's appreciation, he ended up with his body lying on hers. He slowly leaned up on his forearms, looked down at her with a lopsided smile as he said, "Well now, Ms. Sheriff, if you had wanted to manhandle me, all you had to do was ask, not toss me to the ground."

Ignoring him she growled out, "I'm not hit, now get off of me." Sharon exhaled loudly as she tried to push him off of her.

He didn't want to move, she looked amazing laying there. Her face was flushed from the fall, her hair was now free and wild and spread out around her. Another shove from her made Andy realize he was staring at her. So, with a groan, he rolled off of her but stayed close in case the shooter was closing in on them. "Sorry, just trying to be a gentlemen, but I see you don't need any help," he replied as he held his sore shoulder.

Sharon tried to sit up, but there wasn't much protection around them. So, she stayed low and turned to lean her back against the small slope. She brushed her hair out of her eyes to see Andy's worried look. With a huff she corrected him, "I've been taking care of myself for a very long time."

"Exactly! Wouldn't it be nice if you didn't have to all of the time?" Even with her glaring at him as if she wanted to shoot him herself, she had a beauty and strength about her he had never seen in anyone else. Her independence was what attracted him to her the most, not that her being beautiful didn't hurt. Andy had known many pretty ladies over his lifetime, but Sharon Raydor was like no one he had ever met. "I'm not saying you have to show weakness, all I'm saying that everyone can use help once in a while.

"Really, you're doing this now? Andy someone is shooting at you again and your shoulder is bleeding too." Just then another shot sprayed the dirt next to her, close to where her hat lay. "Oh no, you will not get my hat," Sharon said in a firm voice as she stretched to grab it.

Andy pulled her back just as another chunk of dirt flew down on them. "Are you crazy?"

She reached out again. This time she succeeded in grabbing the worn brim and pulled it to her. Sharon firmly put it on her head as she glared at Andy, then she pulled her gun out if its holster on her hip. "It was my father's and I'm not leaving it out here. If you have a problem with that then I suggest..."

"Hey, I've got no problem at all." Andy held up his hands in a mock surrender, "there's no need to go all Annie Oakley on me. I just don't think your life is worth a hat."

She adjusted her prized possession to rest just above her eyes as she exclaimed, "You know what, that's for me to decide. I don't need anyone telling me what to do!" Sharon turned to take a quick peek in the direction of the gunshots. She had to jump back behind the cover as a loud blast sounded. Looking back at Andy, she saw he still had his hands up. "Oh, relax, I'm not going to shoot you, though I stand on further consideration to change my mind at any time."

He lowered his hands and to safely change the subject he explained, "The horses were spooked, Laura will make her way back to the corral, Nolan or one of my other dep…" Andy stopped himself quickly and corrected, "one of my other ranch hands will be looking for us soon. If Bill goes back to town and to the jail, Provenza will get worried and come looking for you."

As she settled down to stay low, Sharon said doubtfully, "Don't count on that. Nobody likes me much in that town and they would probably be thrilled if I don't come back."

"I don't think that's true." Andy could tell she didn't believe him. He continued, "They just have to get to know you like I have. Either way, help will show up."

The shake of her head showed she didn't believe him. She was used to getting herself out of her own problems. "You seem pretty sure of yourself."

"Well, you see I know my friends and colleagues like me and will do anything to help me," Andy said, smugly but jokingly.

She crossed her arms as she said coldly, "We'll see if that actually happens. Maybe your so-called " _friends"_ will actually come to save you." As she said it she took the time to air quote with her finger the word friends. To her, his friends were probably criminals, her enemies and would show up to help him get away.

From her tone and in the low light he could make out the firm line of her mouth, Andy swore he could feel the ice of her stare. He dared to ask, "Wait, are you mad at me? For this?"

Sharon gave a snort laugh, then said sternly, "One of the nice things about me is that when I'm really unhappy people never have to ask." After another shot rang out and hit the dirt just outside their small shelter she lowered her voice questioning him, "How do I know this isn't an ambush? That you set me up or that the criminals you call friends and that you hang around with aren't trying to kill me." She huffed irritatedly, "I knew I should have listened to my instincts and not come out here at all."

 ** _~TBC~_**

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 ** _Thank you for reading my AU fic and for the follows, favorites, and reviews. I really appreciate them._**


	7. Chapter 7

**_~There's a New Sheriff in Town~_**

 **Chapter 7**

 **AN:** _I'm still happily floating down the river_ d'Nile _..._

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Andy could tell by the tone of her voice that she was frustrated, but then again, so was he. Unlike her, he didn't take it out on the person next to him. He wasn't going to let her do that to him, even if she was the sheriff. Shaking his head hard, he whispered as loud as he dared, "Oh, no this isn't my fault. I have nothing to do with this." He waved his hand around indicating the quandary they were in. "You… now let me repeat that again, you basically lead us to this part of my land. You can take the blame this time. Every problem we are having is because of you!"

Sharon whipped her head toward him to complain but stopped herself. She reeled in her anger, unlike him, and thought for a moment. "Andy, you are right about that." He looked at her stunned. She could tell it caught him off guard that she agreed with him. She thought over what was happening and explained, "only a few people know that you went home early this morning and that I came out here to question you."

Not catching on to her train of thought, he asked, "Yeah? Yeah. So…"

"How did your shooter know that we would be here?" Sharon asked him accusatorily.

"That's a very good question. When you think about it, these young men seem to know quite a lot our where-a-bouts." It took a few seconds to sink in but suddenly Andy didn't like her tone. He couldn't believe she thought the situation they were in was his fault. Ok, so some of it was but still, his temper rose. He clenched his jaw, and looked at her hard as he gritted out, "I know what you're thinking and all I have to say is that, did you think that maybe they followed you out here?"

She paused, taken back by his gruff attitude. Sharon pointed at herself as she questioned him, "me? You think I brought them here? They are probably your friends that you double-crossed. Oh, and I can blame you if I want to. You can't tell me what to think. I can blame you for…" another bullet whizzed by, putting a stop to her tirade.

He mood lighten at the shocked look on her face. Knowing he was right, he smirked as he said, "Seems to me that every time you move or raise your voice we get shot at. Sooo as I said..."

She interrupted him, "Is that your way of telling me to shut up?"

"No, I would never say that." He added softly, "besides I like the sound of your voice." Andy sat down next to her with his back against the dirt incline. He kept one leg stretched out in front of him and the other was leaning on the heel of his boot bent towards his chest. In a smooth slow move, he slid off his hat and set in on his knee as he said in a low voice, "just maybe from now on when you scold me, keep it down."

She offered no reply. They sat in the quiet for a while before Andy suggested, "I think we might have to bunk down here. We should probably scoot closer to each other to stay safe and to share body heat. You know… to keep warm." At the death glare he received, Andy explained, "it can be freezing at night."

Sharon scowled at him, "it's been over 100 degrees today." She was exaggerating like Andy was earlier about the temperature.

He shrugged and ignored her displeased look. "You think I'm kidding?" He asked.

With a roll of her eyes, she stated, "I'm not staying out here all night with you and I am definitely not sharing body heat or anything else with you either."

"I don't think you'll have a choice if this takes much longer." From what he had learned of her so far, Andy knew his comment wasn't going to go over well, but there was something about her when she got worked up. It was that spark that kept him risking his life to light that fire within her, even if was just anger for him, for now.

She didn't like the feeling of not being in control. As her temper rose, she pointed a finger at him and declared, "There is always a choice. I happened to think if we…" There was another shot nearby her, causing Sharon to jump this time. "Ugh, why do they keep aiming at my side?"

Andy muttered under his breath, "I can only imagine."

"That's not funny! Why aren't you doing anything about this?" she practically hissed.

He yawned then laid his head back saying, "Oh, I am. They know we are armed, so they won't venture much closer until we are out of ammo or freeze to death."

She almost laughed at Andy latest attempt. "Nice try, but I am not sitting any closer to you." Sharon shrugged saying, "besides it's not that cold."

"Yet." He tapped her leg with his hat that he took off his knee, before placing back on his head, leaving it low, just over his eyes. "Might as well get comfortable. It could be some time before Nolan and our rescue party gets here." Andy smiled as he heard her let out a long sigh. He finally suggested, "with dusk setting in, whoever is shooting is aiming wildly. I don't think they can see us. If we stay still and be quiet, they'll think they killed us and either give up or they will to come to make sure."

"Whoever? Seriously, you are going with that?" Sharon asked in disbelief. "You know darn well who it is. Don't you think it would be easier for you to explain it all to me? I'd like to know what we are up against and if I can trust you aren't actually the outlaw who deserves to be shot?" When she saw him start to say something, Sharon quickly continued, "No more twenty questions or me answering any of yours. Tell me who's out there trying to kill you and now me. Don't even try and say you don't know."

Andy rubbed his neck as he thought about telling her. It didn't matter that he tried to keep her out of this mess, somehow the beautiful lady sheriff was smack dab in the middle of it. As he sucked in a deep breath and drew up some courage to face her, he tilted his head up and met her not so happy glare. Even in the low light, he couldn't miss what her eyes told him. That and seeing her hand on the butt-end of her gun convinced Andy that he needed to explain now, or she'd be his biggest threat, not the dirtbag out there with bad aim. He had an idea she was a much better shot. "Ok ok, I'll tell you everything, just don't shoot me first or even after I tell you, deal?"

With a shrug, Sharon said, "I can't make any promises." She couldn't help the slight grin that escaped at Andy's surprised look. "Fine, deal; I won't shoot you, yet, but I reserve the right to shoot if I feel you are lying to me."

"Sounds fair enough. Why not relax for a little bit?" After receiving another look, he patted the ground next to him then waited patiently until Sharon sat next to him. "Remember when I quickly mentioned that my brother was in jail?" When she nodded Andy continued to explain, "Well, he managed to get word to me that there was another prisoner that wanted me dead."

"Why, would anyone want to kill you? Except for the obvious reasons." Sharon gave him a half smile.

It was Andy's turn to glare at her. "Funny. We found out that he tracked my family history to the ranch."

"Was this where the bait and trap come in? So, you are the bait." When he didn't answer Sharon asked concerned, "Was that the guy who shot you and is he the one shooting at us now?"

"No and no." He answered frankly.

Sharon countered by asking, "How can you be so sure?"

"Oh, I am sure. I put two bullets in the son-of-a …" He stopped himself and went with something less harsh, "I double tapped the asshole who shot me, so he couldn't have gone far." Seeing her eyes narrow, he shrugged innocently. He wasn't apologizing for his language and he wasn't going to waste what little energy he had to go looking for the guy that bushwhacked him. Andy finished, "We do know from my brother that my attacker was working for the guy in jail and he still wants me dead. The proof of which is the shooter aiming at us out there. Also, we did find out that the moron that ambushed me on my way back to my ranch name was Bobby Harris." When she gave him a questioning look he shrugged, "Never heard of him, but do know he couldn't have been too bright to bring a knife to a gun fight.

"What?" Sharon asked surprised. Suddenly a shot sprayed more dust by her side of their shelter, this time she didn't flinch. She just lowered her voice and continued, "You never mentioned a knife."

With a lopsided smile he said, "Well, you didn't ask."

She rolled her eyes before saying, "You left the doctor's office before I could question you and you haven't been very forthcoming with what happened that night. I'm asking now and don't hold back any more information."

He shrugged and reluctantly agreed, "umm, that's true. We had a bit of a scuffle and he might have gotten me a little." Andy lifted his shirt to show her a bandage wrapped around his torso and there was a red stain seeping through the gauze on his right side below his ribs. He watched as Sharon moved closer and tenderly laid her fingers on the irritated skin above the covered cut. He sucked in a breath at her cool touch and didn't breathe again until she stopped stroking his skin. She must have realized what she was doing because she pulled her hand away and quickly sat up straight. He then pulled his shirt down and they both let out a soft sigh. When she finally looked up to meet his eyes, he could see the concern and he let her know, "it didn't hurt. I mean, your touch didn't hurt, if that's what you think." His voice was deeper than usual.

"There was so much blood when I found you, but I assumed it was only your shoulder. From the size of the bandage, you must have gotten over thirty stitches in your side alone. Why didn't you tell me you were hurt there too?" Sharon leaned back to put some space between them. She needed to figure things out and to control the sudden surge of heat that ran through her.

He saw that she was taking a minute to slip back into sheriff mode, but he wanted to keep Sharon here. He jokingly said, "I think I pulled a few of the stitches Doc. Morales put in me when you grabbed me and threw me to the ground."

"Hmmm, I was trying to protect you." Getting her thoughts back on track, she concluded, "So, let me get this right. Not only were you shot last night, you first were ambushed, attacked in a fight and you were stabbed?" He lifted his good shoulder nonchalantly. At his no big deal attitude, she let out a laugh, then quickly covered her mouth with her hand, but it wasn't quick enough to stop the sound from echoing through the air. They both sat stone still and waited. They weren't disappointed, the bullet hit a half a foot from where she sat. Once it was silent around them again, Sharon turned back to Andy and said softly, "What I was going to say before we were rudely interrupted, I suppose you'd say, you should see the other guy."

Andy let out a muffled laugh, "well, yeah. I think I got the better end of the deal." It didn't go unnoticed by him that she was already getting to know him and how he thought. "The way I think it went down was that it must have been his partner, the one that's who is shooting at us now, that shot me after I fought off Bobby. Because Dead Bob didn't have a gun and was in no shape to fire one the last I saw him. The other idiot must have thought he had done me in then left." He paused then whispered, "What a lucky scoundrel I am that a beautiful sheriff came to my rescue." He gave her a wink.

"It was your horse that saved you." Sharon in return gave him a frown, but her insides warmed at his comment and she felt her face go flush. She knew Andy Flynn was a natural charmer and she shouldn't let him get to her. She was sure he flirted with every woman he encountered. She couldn't help the tremble that went all through her and settled in her core.

Even in the fading light of day, he saw the slight blush on her cheeks and her body shiver. He decided he liked how he affected the tough Sheriff Raydor. Though he wasn't sure if it was him or the change in the weather that was the source of her shiver, he stated, "I know you are colder than you are letting on. Your fingers were chilled when you touched me." When her face grew stern, Andy grew bolder. He kept his voice low as he spoke, "it's ok. You can admit you're freezing, just move over here and I'll happily warm you up."

She didn't move or acknowledge what he had said. Since she had come to know Andy's personality more, she was curious to know something. So, keeping her down as to not draw the gunman's attention again, she asked, "Hmmm, so this person that has basically put a hit out on you, did you assault, threaten or irate him in any way?"

Andy rubbed the back of his neck again before saying, "um, well, I told him when he went to jail, I know he killed the undercover informant and I would dedicate my life to proving it."

Her brain clicked into high gear when she heard about this informant. She wanted to know who it was and who he was working for, but she'd let that go for now. She did know this man couldn't just let things go, especially with a criminal. He would have to have the last word and if it annoyed the guy, even better. Sharon shook her head as she asked, "then what did you do?" As she talked, she subtly edged closer to Andy. Sharon scooted slowly on the ground and shortened her proximity to him all the while hoping he didn't realize it. She really didn't want to admit he was right, but she was cold and in need of some of his body heat to stay warm. The nearer she got to him she could feel that he was like a furnace. She wondered, how he put off so much heat? She knew exactly how he caused her blood to flow hotter and faster and she was feeling it all the way to her toes.

"Umm, I don't know something else came up. I didn't realize he was holding a grudge after all these years." He adjusted his hat and leaned back to see her better. He needed to read her eyes to see if she trusted that what he was saying was actually legit. Andy knew it would take only the truth for this inquisitive, highly intelligent, beautiful sheriff to accept what he said, or she would see right through him if he was less than honest. Then she would probably shoot him. Andy didn't let on that he noticed Sharon had closed the distance between them. He kept talking as she inched closer. He thought it was cute that she thought he wasn't aware that she maneuvered to be beside him. It was just enough to have their shoulders and thighs touch, but it was enough to cause his pulse to race. It wasn't easy to keep the conversation going without showing any reaction. He hoped she couldn't feel hi quickened heartbeat or especially tell the tightness of his pants. He was sure that would get him shot on the spot. Not to mention what would happen if she knew what he was thinking. He stared at her sensuous kissable lips and wondered what they would feel like against his.

She listened intensely as he talked. Her instincts told her that he was being forthright and genuine. Sharon believed what he was saying, though she still had a lot of questions. "So, who is the person wanting you dead and why? More importantly, who is this _we_ you keep talking about?"

Andy stammered a moment, relieved she didn't notice he had been lost in inappropriate, though most pleasurable, thoughts. Just when he was ready to explain the we, and who, they both heard the sound of thunder, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky. With a peak around their shelter, they realized that the sound was horses galloping toward them. Sharon didn't know if they were friend or foe from this distance. They hadn't been shot at for a while, so she knew the time was now. She was a take action kind of woman and wasn't going down without a fight. She certainly wasn't going to just sit there and wait with their guns drawn for whoever came around the bend. Besides, she didn't want the guy trying to kill them to have accomplices ride in and lower their odds of making it out alive. They would be outnumbered, there was no way she and Andy could win unless they had some leverage. She planned on using the shooter for that.

As she looked away from the approaching dust cloud, she noticed the gunman who was shooting at them earlier was loading a bag with something over where Bill and Laura had been standing. He was now hurrying to his own horse and not wanting him to get away, she turned and nodded at Andy. Then she quickly stood up and cautiously approached the man running. Sharon raised her gun level with him and firmly commanded, "drop the bag! Put your hands in the air!"

It took Andy a bit longer to stand up since he wasn't aware of the plan going on in Sharon's mind. Surprised when she jumped and ran, he quickly as he could got to his feet, flexed his stiff joints and made his way over to her. At the sight in front of him, he couldn't help but call out, "Sharon, stop!" Andy's heart missed a beat as he watched the confrontation before him.

There was complete silence except for the horses bearing down on them. It was as if the world stopped spinning in anticipation of what was going to happen. There was no breeze, no birds or animals calling out to each other. Andy wasn't even sure either he or Sharon was breathing.

When the riders closed in, without taking his eyes off of her, Andy held a hand up to slow them down, though he wasn't sure they would follow his unspoken command. They honestly weren't his biggest concern right now. The woman staring down a possible killer was. He quickly stepped a few paces to stand beside her. Andy saw the dirtbag's eyes twitch back and forth between him and Sharon, who hadn't moved an inch. When his hand flinched toward the gun on his hip, Andy instinctively stepped in front of her.

As the showdown built up among the three of them, the pounding of hooves on the gravel trail grew louder, causing Sharon to tense. She held her stance, digging her boot heels into the rocks under her feet as she tightened her grip on her gun. She wanted the man in custody before his friends arrived, but she also didn't want to have to shoot him to do it. If there was any way possible, she wanted to have a peaceful outcome. Frankly, she was tired of bullets. She had heard Andy call out to her. She was putting her faith in him that he wasn't trying to stop her because this was his partner she had in her sights. She had believed him and wanted to keep believing that he told her the truth.

As the dust billowed around them, she heard the expelling deep breaths from the posse of horses that were now standing right behind her. Sharon knew it was too late for a calm resolve and called out again, "put down your weapon or I'll shoot!" She let out a low growl when Andy pulled what he thought was a chivalrous heroic act by blocking her, but she wasn't going to have any of that. She didn't need anyone protecting her, she was the sheriff after all. With a huff, she took one side step and two ahead to put her alongside him. With her onward movements, the guy took it as an aggressive sign and lifted his six-shooter from its holster.

Just then, the sound of multiple guns cocking filled the air. Andy heard Sharon gasp and with him being so close to her, he felt her stiffen at the dangerous echoes coming from behind them.

She felt the hot exhale of the horses wafting through her hair and across her neck. It caused a shiver to run down her spine. She reinforced her stance. Without taking her eyes off the man with a gun aimed at her, she refused to budge. Sharon was sure she was a faster shot and she was about to bet her life on it. Even being surrounded wasn't going to stop her from doing her job.

With a deep inhale to steady herself, she tried to focus her overthinking mind. What crept into her thoughts was doubt, fear, and mostly the need to trust what Andy told her earlier was the truth. She was starting to second guess everything she had done since she became acquainted with him. What happened next would give her an answer.

 ** _~TBC~_**

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 _A thank you to lissianne for trying to catch all my errors and for sprinkling in her creative magical words_ _._

 ** _Thank you for reading my AU fic and for the follows, favorites, and reviews. I really truly appreciate them._**


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